Hyrule Field: Morning…
The sun hadn't quite yet risen over the Dueling Peaks leaving the land around Link and Roxas in shadow. The wind that howled through the Dueling Peaks was bitterly cold. The pair pressed on through the peaks and as they began to widen, the pair finally stepped out into warm sunlight.
"We finally made it through the canyon." Link started quickening his pace. "Come on Roxas. I see a structure with a wooden horse head, so that must be the stable."
"Slow down Link." Roxas quickened his pace to follow alongside him. "The place isn't going anywhere."
Link's heart soared for two reasons as they closed in on the stables. The first was the fact that the building was fully intact. The second was the sight of people. Roxas stopped alongside Link as he used the Sheikah Slate just to make sure this wasn't some elaborate Bokoblin camp. It wasn't.
People milled about while a couple of children were playing out front with a shaggy brown dog. A few stable hands were grooming a trio of horses, and a man was sitting by a black pot over a sizeable fire stirring what appeared to be stew. The sight nearly brought tears to Link's eyes.
While Roxas didn't mind the lack of people, he just knew it'd mean more social interactions, he did smile upon seeing Link's reaction. They jogged towards the stable where they could soon hear the children's laughs and dog bark. Horses neighed and munched on oats from the trough.
As the people began to spot them, children suddenly fell silent and ignored the dog's excited bark as it nudged a small cloth-wrapped ball towards the nearest one. The man at the cooking pot stood up and looked at them with distrustful eyes.
One of the stable hands hurried into the building before a man with a sword strapped to his waist and a leather cap on his head stepped out. They got the distinct impression that they were an odd sight to see. Especially since they hadn't seen any other people in the last two day.
Link could tell it probably didn't help that he was visibly armed while Roxas was dressed in an all-black coat. Hoping to allay any fears, the pair made sure their hands were visible and Link kept his well away from his visible weapons.
"Ho, stranger!" The man with the sword declared.
He casually set one hand upon his pommel, trying to look calm, but they could see that he was nervous. They couldn't imagine they looked that threatening. Then again, the pair hadn't really been able to bathe since meeting one another.
"That's far enough." The man instructed as the partners approached to within ten feet of him. "Where are ya from? Haven't seen many new travelers in a while. Especially not from beyond the Peaks. Was pretty sure I knew everyone who traveled that route."
Roxas knew that the truth probably wouldn't do them any favors here. "My friend and I are traveling from out west, and we're on our way to Kakariko Village…"
"Out west, huh?" The man interrupted. "What are you, Gerudo? You two look pale and are kind of short for that. Plus, last we knew, they were all women."
Neither of them knew a thing about how these Gerudo were meant to look; however, Roxas knew he wasn't one. Based on the few descriptions, Link could figure out he wasn't either. Plus, he was pretty sure he was Hylian given everything. Finally, they shook their heads.
"Not Gerudo, huh?" The man's suspicions rose. "Well, where'd ya come from?"
Link cleared his throat. "We're not Gerudo, but we were living out in that direction for quite some time. We've been sent to deliver a message to Impa of Kakariko Village."
"Didn't know the Sheikah were talking to anyone in that direction." The man stated. "Of course, you never know what those Sheikah are up to. Bunch of mystics. Real secretive. Saw one of them disappear in a puff of smoke once. You ever seen something like that?"
"We haven't." Roxas stated.
As this conversation wore on, Link found himself paying close attention to the man. While his hand still rested comfortably on the pommel of his sword, something seemed off about his stance. He was nervous, to be sure.
"Have you seen any of those Bokoblins out there?" The man questioned. "Hear they've been causing some travelers problems on the road lately."
"Actually, yes." Link stated. "We've come across a couple of…"
"You two don't look like you've seen too much fighting to me." The man interrupted. Are you sure…"
"Rosso, leave those boys alone!" A new, feminine voice interrupted.
They turned to see a woman emerging from the building. She had red hair in multiple tight braids. She was taller, larger, and rather more imposing than Rosso. She had on a simple black dress but wore a very elaborate purple and blue shawl over it.
"Telma, leave me well alone." The man spluttered. "You know that it's my job to keep an eye out for any unsavory folk coming around here."
"And you're doing a fine job of it." Telma stated with a smirk. "Now why don't you go on and make sure the road is clear. I don't like how brave those Bokoblins in Blatchery plains have been getting lately."
"Telma, you can't…" Rosso began
"Ah, ah!" Telma waggled a finger at Rosso before making a shooing gesture and stepping on over to the boys. "Come with me you two, you look like you haven't had a good cup of tea in ages. I just started brewing a Gerudo recipe, so I'm sure you'll like it."
"Telma…" Rosso spluttered.
The large woman simply ignored him while leading the partners into the shelter of the building. Inside they found a warm, welcoming sight. Several round tables sat in the center of a large room with four to five stools around it.
Several other people sat at the tables eating various kinds of foods or drinking out of wooden mugs. A few watched them with suspicious eyes, but most seemed to think that if they got past Rosso, they were probably safe. Either that or they were more intimidated by Telma than them.
Telma led them to a table where a small, silver kettle sat. She smiled over at the boys and poured a fragrant tea into mugs before handing it over to them. She waved at one of the serving girls, who nodded and went to retrieve her a fresh mug.
She nodded towards the cup in their hands. "Go ahead and drink. It'll warm you boys up."
The boys took a sip before immediately coughing and spluttering. Their mouths felt like they were on fire and Roxas suddenly wished he had some sea salt ice cream.
Telma laughed heartily. "I didn't think for a second that you boys came from the desert!" She grabbed one of the mugs and took a long gulp before smacking her lips. "Nothing like a good, strong Gerudo fire brew tea to wake you up in the morning."
Roxas was taking far longer than Link to recover, so the hero spoke up. "What… what did you put in there? That was… not what we expected."
"But I'll bet you feel warmer now, don't you?" Telma questioned with a wink.
They found she was right. For as little as they drank, the pair did feel warmer. Still, Roxas was having trouble finding his voice.
"That is nothing like the spicy food Link makes." Roxas was spluttering. "I am never willingly drinking that tea again."
"Oh dear, looks like your friend here can't handle spice like you." Telma looked to another server and nodded causing her to come over with a mug of milk. "Here, drink this and it'll help you." Roxas glared from the mug to the woman suspiciously. "Don't worry, it's just milk."
The Nobody tentatively took the mug and barley sipped it. When his mouth did identify it as milk, he downed the hole mug.
With a deep breath, Roxas sat it down. "Please, never… give me that… drink again."
"I knew you hadn't been in the desert before since being out there would have tanned you two up nicely." When she saw that the boys didn't fully understand, she raised one eyebrow. "You've never even seen a Gerudo, have you? Suppose I shouldn't be surprised.
For starters, I'm part Gerudo, so you can imagine that they at least look something like me. They rarely travel this far east anyways, but I do some trading out that way. Been difficult getting back out to the desert lately. Still, I wonder where you are from if not the desert?
Roxas and Link shared a look. They got the sense that any lie they tried would be seen through almost immediately by this woman.
"I don't want to reveal much, but I've come from far, far away from Hyrule." Roxas informed.
"I'm not really sure where I'm from." Link stated. "I just woke up a couple of days ago in the ruins up the road. I don't remember how I got there or where I'm from."
"So, you don't know where you're from, and he doesn't want to reveal it." Telma stated while studying them for a few moments.
"I was rather recently part of a group of people who did bad things." Roxas admitted. "I came to realize it was wrong and left them." He looked at his cloak. "I haven't even had the chance to find new clothing, but I'd keep this since it has its uses."
"What was said out there was kind of the truth." Link added. "Roxas and I are on our way to Kakariko Village to see Impa."
Telma gave them a long stare with one, red eyebrow raised. "Since you're on your way to Kakariko Village, I don't suppose you two know how to fight?"
"We do." Roxas nodded. "I may have no visible weapons like Link, but I got a weapon on me that I've been using."
"Well, that's curious." Telma's eye twinkled. "It just so happens I was about to head out towards Kakariko Village myself. Got to do some trading. It's been a harsh winter, and I haven't been out that way in a while. My normal guard just came down with some stomach cramps this morning.
I was looking at a delay, but if you two really know how to fight, maybe you could accompany me. Didn't see you ride in on a horse, and Kakariko is quite the hike on foot. If we leave soon enough, we can arrive by nightfall."
Link felt relieved. "That would be great because we don't know where the village is."
Telma rose from her stool. "Come on, if you're going to play caravan guard for me, then we should get going. Just need to get my horse hitched up."
Within the hour, they were on the road. Link and Telma sat at the front of a covered wagon while Roxas sat within it. Telma's horse, a white and black mare that she called Louise, plodded along at a steady pace down the road.
"So, you're a merchant?" Link questioned.
Telma glanced over at him with a smile. "Yes, I would say that I am."
"Do you… travel west often?" Link asked. "When we were walking on the road, I didn't see anyone else. I didn't know if it was just avoided, or…"
"Only when I'm able to pick up some more guards or in a caravan. The roads get more dangerous as you pass near the remains of Castle Tower. Too many Bokoblins and Moblins laying claims to the ruins around there lately."
"Moblins?" Roxas asked.
"You must have come across some while traveling east, or at least seen some." Telma stated. "They're the big ones, and they've been particularly aggressive lately near the old Gatepost Town ruins."
"We avoided them when we could as not to exhaust ourselves." Link informed. "Though, we have fought quite a few Bokoblins. That's how I got most of my gear."
"You fought them unarmed?" Telma questioned with some surprise.
"Well, some weapons have broken including my first sword which Roxas gave me." Link replied. "As for Roxas… his weapons don't really break. I can say, with honesty, that he's the strongest between the two of us."
"I see." Telma looked back at the Nobody before focusing on the road. "It's probably for the best you avoided the Moblins. I once saw one of them cleave a horse clean in two. They're butchers."
Link looked around at the passing scenery. To the west was the ridgeline that contained the Dueling Peaks, but to the east there were old ruins. Ruins that looked older than the ones they'd seen before.
Link gave a start when he saw the distinct shape of a Guardian among the ruins. "Did the Guardians destroy this place too?"
"Those old machines? Not this place. It was a ruin before they ever attacked," Telma raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, for someone without any memories, you seem to know a lot."
All Link said was, "I know about the Guardians." He didn't meet her gaze. "Is this what it's going to be like everywhere Roxas and I go? Ruined lives and broken-down machines?
Afterwards, they rode in silence. Telma would occasionally make comments about a particular landmark, but Link and Roxas would only reply when they had to.
"How many people died when the Guardians attacked?" Roxas hasn't really thought about this in the days that he's been here. "This was once a kingdom, right? Why is it that the only people we've seen are a handful of travelers in a waystation?
Link was thinking along similar lines. "Why can't they get enough of a fighting force to keep the roads safe? We traveled for days without incident, so surely it wouldn't take much to patrol those roads, would it?
"This isn't good." Telma stated drawing the boy's attention.
They both saw that the road ahead was perfectly blocked by a downed tree. There might be room to go around it, but they spotted the Bokoblin hiding behind the tree just in time. Link pushed Telma to the side as an arrow whizzed by where she'd been sitting.
"Roxas, we have company!" Link yelled.
Telma cursed, Link grabbed his bow before stringing it with practiced fingers, and Roxas managed to leap onto the roof of the wagon. Another arrow was fired, but this one merely landed on the wood of the bench they sat on.
Link looked to Telma. "Keep going!"
Link stood and nocked an arrow before spotting his first target. It was a Bokoblin behind the tree who was taking aim. Link loosed his arrow, and it struck the Bokoblin in the center of its chest. Roxas saw another Bokoblin that was perched on half of an ancient arch.
"Thunder!" Roxas exclaimed.
Lighting struck the Bokoblin sending him crashing to the ground; however, the monster wasn't dead and ended up blowing a horn.
"Oh no." Telma stated.
The next thing they heard was the pounding of hooves. From around a large, rocky hill ahead two Bokoblins rode out on horses. The first was blue and held a spear while the other was black with a wicked-looking club that had large spikes on its end.
Telma cursed again sounding increasingly scared. "There aren't supposed to be any roaming bands along the road. They must have just moved into the area in the winter!"
Link tried to turn his bow on the mounted Bokoblins, but they were too quick to get a clean shot off. The monster rode past the cart in a wide arc before preparing to come back around from behind.
"Fire!" Roxas shouted.
He blasted out a ball of fire, but it just barely missed the moving targets. Link put his bow away before getting out his sword and shield. He then climbed onto the back of the wagon with Roxas. The Bokoblins came back around and were pulling alongside them.
The pair shared a nod before each lunged at the Bokoblins. Link took the blue one while Roxas took the black one with their respective blades. Neither monster expected this, so they were slashed off. Link landed in the horse's saddle, but Roxas ended up belly first on the other one.
"Link, I didn't land in the saddle!" Roxas yelled as the horse he was on started booking it.
The Nobody wasn't certain why he thought he could do this. He had no practicing riding anything, so this was just a lapse in judgement on his part.
Link pulled on the reigns of the horse he now rode. "I'm coming Roxas!"
The hero had his horse run after his friend and managed to catch up as Telma trailed behind them. Before Link could reach out for the horse's reign to stop it, the mount ended up running straight into a log in the middle the road sending itself and Roxas tumbling along the ground.
Link stopped his horse and brought it back around to find his friend and the horse laid out. "Roxas, are you okay!?"
The Nobody groaned as he got up and held out Oathkeeper. "Cura!" Green magic washed over him, and he stood up. "Alright, I'm good."
"That's good." Link had smiled at that before frowning as he took note of the horse. "I don't think he is."
Roxas looked at the horse which was panting and clearly in a great deal of pain. Just like the horse Link was riding, this one was frothing at the moth, blowing heavily out of its nose, and its eyes were rolling. It was clear that the Bokoblins had ridden them hard.
"These poor animals." Roxas looked from his keyblade to both animals before holding it up. "Cura! Curaga!"
He used the first spell to heal the horse Link was riding before upping the level to heal the second completely. The second one then stood, and both horses were calmer now. The second one even ended up nuzzling against Roxas as thanks since it knew he had done this.
Telma climbed down from her cart before looking between them with wide eyes. "Who…" Her voice was shaky. "Who are you two?"
Link grimaced and shook his head. "I honestly don't know."
"I… don't feel all that comfortable sharing." Roxas reiterated.
She stared at them for a long time before regaining some of her composure. "Well… you weren't lying about your skill in combat."
Link wasn't sure he was comforted by those words. He then turned his eyes to the horse whose reins he now held. It was light brown coated horse with a white mane and tail. The fur around its ankles grew thicker and was white as well.
Though it had calmed down, it wasn't as trusting of both boys as the second horse now seemed to be of Roxas. Speaking of the second horse, it was blue with a lighter blue mane and tail. Like Link's horse, the fur around its ankles grew thick and was white.
As Roxas looked at the horse, its coloration reminded him of one thing. "You remind me of Sea Salt Ice Cream."
Just as with combat and cooking, Link knew what to do with the horse to better put it at ease. He got off and made shushing sounds while putting his hand gently on the mount.
"Good…" Link hesitated for a second before quickly checking. "Girl."
He began to inspect the horse more carefully. Despite Roxas healing her, he still found residual signs of abuse in the form of scars along its flank and neck. Link was certain he'd find similar signs on the horse that was now standing by Roxas calmly.
It only took one look at the two of them, from the style of saddle and bridle, to determined that the Bokoblins had stolen these horses from someone. Even though it would be easy to blame the abuse on the monsters, whoever owned them before could just as easily be at fault.
Link intended to correct some of these problems. "Hey Roxas, can you do me a favor?"
"Uh, sure." Roxas stated.
"See that thing in your horse's mouth?" Link asked. "That's known as a bit. Take it out and gently pat the horse's nose."
Roxas looked at Link to see him carefully removed the bit from his horse's, so he mimicked that action. Both then gently patted the horses' noses which they seemed to appreciate.
"There you go Roxas." Link declared before his horse smelt his hair. "Hold on."
He scratched the horse behind the ear, so Roxas did the same for his horse. At this point, Link had revealed himself to know what he was doing with a horse, so it just made sense. The hero then got out a couple of apples and tossed one to Roxas.
They offered them to the horses who seemed quite eager and took the apple from their hands with gentle teeth. With both horses now completely calm, Link took his horse's rein and proceeded back to the cart with Roxas following soon after.
"I see you're good with horses." Telma stated dryly.
"I suppose I am." Link smiled as he looked at the horses before chuckling as the horse Roxas had been smelling the Nobody's head. "Hey, if I'm a natural with horses, Roxas seems to have a magnetic personality with them."
Roxas wasn't sure why Link was laughing, so he just turned to the horse before running a hand down it. Despite the rocky ride, this horse was quickly growing on him. They remained there for some time longer as Link carefully checked over each horse.
He didn't know where this knowledge came from, but he seemed to have an innate eye for it. Despite the signs of abuse, neither horse was in particularly bad condition. He also helped Roxas identify that hist horse was male.
Once satisfied with his inspection, Link carefully replaced the bits in each of their mouths. He then mounted the brown horse and patted its neck gently. Roxas' horse stared at him expectantly, but the Nobody was uncertain.
"Link, I don't think I can ride this horse." Roxas stated.
"Don't worry, this won't be like your first ride together." Link assured. "You already have the guy's trust, and I can help iron out your riding technique as we move onto Kakariko Village."
Telma smiled at them from the cart. "We'll take it nice and slow to let you get the hang of it."
Roxas looked from them to the horse who was looking at him expectantly. He clearly wanted this boy to be his rider. Eventually, the Nobody sighed and gently pet the horse.
"Alright, I'll give it a shot." He struggled to get into the saddle, but eventually managed it. "Now what?"
"Sit up nice and straight, grab the reigns, and click your tongue when I do." Link informed. "That'll get him started at the same pace. When you want him to turn left or right, simply use your legs by applying pressure with the same leg as the direction you want."
Roxas nodded. "Alright, I got it."
Link clicked his tongue and Roxas did the same. Now, they were underway with Telma once more. While being in the saddle felt right for Link, Roxas knew it'd take some getting used to. Ultimately, the horses seemed to take well to both.
"A good way to bond with your horse it to run your hand along them and assure them they're doing a nice job." Link looked over at his companion with a smile. "Since it seems like they'll be joining us, we'll need to think of good names for them."
Roxas nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
Kakariko Village
They arrived in the village after the sun had set. The group had traveled through the rest of the day through a twisting pass that wound up multiple hills. Link and Roxas decided to name their horses Epona and Sea Salt, respectively.
The expansive town was in a lush valley where it had been split into multiple tiers. The uppermost tier contained farm land where several farmers were out working by the light of large paper lanterns and the full moon rose over the hills to the east.
The spring planting season seemed to be in full swing, and they saw many men, women, and children in the fields. They all wore similar white and red clothing with many having on strange, curved hats. The buildings in the village were all made of wood with thatched roofs
This final building was situated on a raised island in the center of a small lake that several waterfalls fed into. It had at least two stories and featured a roof made of much sharper angles than the others. Link immediately suspected that they would find Impa there.
As they made their way down the winding path, Roxas and Link noticed multiple villagers, mostly consisting of children, falling into line behind Telma's cart. Other villagers called out to her in greeting or asking if she had certain items, and she replied in warm, boisterous tones.
It was clear that she was a welcome sight to see. Link recalled what she'd said about the harsh winter and wondered if she was the first merchant to make their way to the village with the spring thaw. He supposed that winter isolated the village a great deal.
"Hey Telma, who are your new guards?"
"I like the older one. He's pretty!"
"The younger ones better looking in my opinion."
Such comments were lost on Roxas while Link's face flush. The later even noticed a group of girls, all somewhere in their teens, staring at them and talking in hushed tones. Beyond that, he noticed that all the people here had similar white or grey hair.
"Perhaps that's a common trait of the Sheikah?" Link thought which did sound right to him.
They finally pulled to a stop at what appeared to be a town square of sorts. The large house surrounded by waterfalls sat at one end of it with a rope bridge leading up to its door. Across from the house, there was another goddess statue.
This statue was on a small island in the center of a pond, with a wooden bridge leading to it. As Link and Roxas dismounted, one of the two older Sheikah men standing guard by the bridge to the large house approached them holding a lantern.
"You look like you've seen combat." The man declared as he had noticed the battle damage to the cart.
"There's no need to worry, Cado," Telma said from upon her cart. "We were attacked by some Bokoblins while passing by the Ash Swamp. Link and Roxas here took care of them for me. Don't think they'll be bothering any more travelers on that stretch of road."
"How many were there?" Cado asked with a frown.
"Four." Telma replied. "They tried setting an ambush, but the lot of them weren't a match for these two. Who knew that the travelers I picked up at the stable would be handy in a fight."
"Travelers that are strangers." Cado grunted as he studied the boys. "Where do you hail from?"
"They say they're here to see Impa." Telma answered for them.
Cado took a step back as his expression growing suspicious. The boys noticed the other guard stepping up as well with his hand on the hilt of a long, curved blade strapped to his waist. Link sighed as he hoped they were past suspicion after saving Telma.
"I will repeat my question, travelers." Cado's voice was steady, but his eyes had grown much more alert. "Where do you hail from?"
"We…" Roxas began.
He was cut off by the other guard. "Cado, look at the older boy's hip.
"That…" Cado began, but then his eyes widened. "Dorian, go tell Lady Impa."
The other man, Dorian, turned and hurried up the wooden bridge towards the large house. Oddly, his footfalls made no sound on the wood.
Cado turned back towards Link seeming nervous. "I apologize for my suspicion. Lately, there have been increasing reports of Yiga activity in the area, and after what happened to Dorian's wife… Well, we must be careful."
Telma came up behind the boys. "You know, after what you boys did back there, I was thinking you might be Yiga in disguise."
"This man is most certainly not a member of the Yiga Clan, and if he trust this individual in the black cloak, then he must not be one either." Cado stood up straighter beaming. "The device on his hip could only belong to one man…
The ancient Hero of Hyrule." He fixed his gaze on Link, and shockingly, there were tears at the corners of the man's eyes. "Lady Impa has spoken of your return for many years, and for you to come now… It is an honor, Sir Link."
Cado placed his free hand to his stomach and bowed deeply at his waist. Sudden dread filled the pit of Link's stomach making him wish he were anywhere but here. He didn't want to feel the eyes of Telma, Cado, and multiple other Sheikah, who had overheard this conversation, on him.
He could hear their whispers and caught glimpses of several pointing at him. Worse yet, he saw many of the Sheikah mimicking Cado's deep bow. Roxas took this news in stride even if he wasn't expecting Link's hero status to be this great.
The door to the large house slid open, and Dorian stepped out followed by two women. One was youthful, tall, and slender. The other was short and much older. She wore a conical hat that flared out with a wide brim.
The Sheikah symbol was featured prominently on the hat. She walked while leaning on a walking stick. Even at this distance, Link could feel her eyes boring into him. The whispers around him grew silent.
Finally, the woman spoke. "Link, come on up here!" He gaze turned to Roxas. "Bring your friend to!"
Link looked at all the eyes on him before Roxas put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave a solid nod. The hero took a deep breath and smiled gratefully back at him before they both made their way towards the elderly woman.
I love the Legend of Zelda series as a whole and decided to embrace that by including some appearances of characters from other tittles. That's not too out of the ordinary in my opinion since Breath of the Wild was confirmed to be at the end of all timelines and 10,000 years into the future. In my opinion, not out of the question that past characters would be given new life. Of course, what Link wouldn't be complete without an Epona. As for Roxas' horse, I mean I just had to.
DARKPHANTOM13: Yeah, time for some new people. Unfortunately, not everyone would be aware Link is the hero of one hundred years ago, if they ever heard of him at all, so the boys will get some hostility thrown their way. I honestly think that Link and Roxas provide a nice balance for each other with both able to rub off on the other as the journey continues. As for Paya, I personally view it as an understandable error on Impa's part.
Maybe we learn what happened to Paya's parents, but I don't remember it coming through in game. Anyways, I personally view it as Impa did teach her daughter or son a great deal only for them to fall. She was left with Paya. While Impa loves her granddaughter, I think she was different than her parents. Like her parents were brave while Paya has some nervousness to her. Couple that with Impa being older, and perhaps unable to teach like she used to.
As for who the person in the black cloak is, well you'll find out soon, but I will say it could be a lot of different people given many people wear that coat.
ultima-owner: It's possible. Dorian's little story will be told next chapter. I know Link couldn't access this shrine quest until after getting the camera, but he this is a story rather than an arbitrary game requirment.